Two of my porcelain teacups have brown stains.
These stains won’t come off with soap, no matter how hard I scrub them.
At first the stains were barely noticeable, but now I can’t stand them any more.
So I’ll clean them with baking soda, which I always have at home.
There are two methods that I know of. Since I have two teacups, I’ll try them both in order to see which one works better.
Making a paste with baking soda
By mixing baking soda with just enough water to make a paste, you can rub it on the tea stains until they disappear.
After about 30 seconds, I was able to take most of the tea stains.
It didn’t require much effort at all.
Since it’s an abrasive paste, I wouldn’t recommend doing this often.
Soaking in hot water and baking soda
This method takes longer, at least 30 minutes.
But it’s easy. All you have to do is put a small amount of baking soda inside the teacup, and pour hot water over it.
Half an hour later, I rubbed the stains with the mixture.
This method worked much better.
The few remaining stains are almost imperceptible.
Perhaps a combination of both methods might take off all of the stains completely.
Also, the effect is stronger by mixing vinegar with the baking soda.
How have you removed tea stains from your teaware?
November 19, 2024
Exactly what I use except I don’t use hot water. Just put the baking sod a in the cup fill with water let it set 10 or 15 min. And it usually comes off relatively easy. I know they say you should never wash tea ware because it adds to the character of each tea but like you after a while I don’t like the look. Be careful adding vinegar because it will erupt all over the place. I might try just plain vinegar as it works well on my glassware when I sometimes get calcium / fluoride deposits on the bottom. Just pour some vinegar in a cup add a bit of water and let it set for a bit then scrub clean with ease. I wonder if it will work with tea? But the baking soda is working for me.
November 19, 2024
Hi Sharon
You’re right, it’s much more messy if you use baking soda and vinegar at the same time. I sometimes do that to clean sink drains.
November 21, 2024
Hi Ricardo,
I add citric acid to the baking soda. Occasionally I leave the teaware to soak for a while, sometimes I just wash immediately with the mixture. Either way, I end up with nice, stainless ware.
November 21, 2024
Hi Lia
Thanks for the tip. I’ve never used citric acid before.